Equestrianism: Ellen makes it a family affair for the Whitakers

Ellen Whitaker kept the family steamroller on the move when she rode Kanselier to her third Speed Horse of the Year title on the closing day of the Horse of the Year Show at the NEC in Birmingham. Having taken every possible short cut, she defeated a spirited attempt by Laura Renwick on Beluega by 1.71sec.

This was Whitaker's third win in this class, following her victories with Quinton in 2004 and Henri De Here in 2006. Kanselier, once her top mount, is naturally fast and careful and he still finds speed contests easy, even at the age of 17.

Ellen's cousin Robert had set the ball rolling for the Whitakers with two victories on Friday evening – both at the expense of his father, John. On Saturday, John's brother Michael won before Robert regained his amazing form with another two victories in the evening, beating Ellen in the second.